Irreplaceable
by Headbanger Rockstar
Summary: AU. Spoilers to Episode 1.20 Missing. Alternate ending. Tony's in worse shape than anybody thought when he comes out of the sewers. Luckily Gibbs is there to help him out-in more ways than one. Friendship fic, no slash. This story is not part of any series. Rated K.


_NCIS and all recognizeable characters of the show are property of CBS and Bellisario Productions. I do not own the characters, the episode, or the show…I only borrowed it._

**SPOILERS: Episode 1.20 Missing.  
****Author's Note: **This little bunny jumped into my head last night right as I was drifting off to sleep. So I sat up and jotted the idea down for it so I wouldn't forget it and this morning woke up and dumped the idea straight onto the computer. Now that I have this out of my system I will go back to torturing Jethro and Shannon in Separation Anxiety. Enjoy!  
**Warning: **Angst, whump, my usual stuff. Don't think anyone will need tissues for this.

_Special thanks to my wonderful beta Gotgoats who betaed this story at the last minute for me._

**Irreplaceable  
****By Headbanger_Rockstar****  
**

Tony breathed a sigh of relief when they took Vanessa the Waitress into custody. He leaned against the wall of the sewer, chest heaving, trying not to think about all of the germs in the goo he was propped against. He watched, feeling disconnected, as Gibbs and Kate handcuffed Vanessa and Gibbs radioed for Ducky to bring a stretcher down for Sacco's body. He thought he should probably feel bad about that…Sacco had died right in front of him—there wasn't anything he could have done to stop that—and yet he still felt guilty for it. One of the officers in the tunnel took Atlas by the arm and began gently escorting him up to the surface, speaking gently and quietly to him the whole way. Gibbs quickly marked the scene and began taking pictures.

Through it all, Tony remained where he was, leaned against the slimy concrete wall, one hand over his stomach, head resting listlessly against the firm surface behind him.

It didn't take Gibbs long to work the scene. When he was finished, he turned to Tony and eyed him with concern. It was obvious to him that the boy wasn't right yet—was still out of sorts from whatever it was Vanessa had done to him. By the slight glaze in his eyes, Gibbs knew that he was still feeling the effects from the either drugs she'd used to abduct him in the first place, or some other drugs she'd given him later. Either way, the Senior Agent decided it was time to get Tony to the surface and get him looked at.

He put all of the evidence into Kate's backpack, zipped it up, and slipped it onto his back. Then he turned to Tony. "With me DiNozzo," he said softly.

Tony slowly pushed himself off the wall. His limbs felt like lead and he was sure his movements weren't nearly as coordinated as he would normally be. Gibbs put a hand on Tony's elbow to steady him as they trekked through the uneven, wet, slippery surface towards the entrance to the sewer that the agents were using. Tony stumbled a couple of times and was unnaturally quiet. Gibbs' gut was churning over Tony's out of character behavior—the normally very coordinated young man would usually have talked his ear off to the point of a headslap by now. Instead Tony was breathing much harder than normal, sweating profusely, stumbling slightly here and there, and not saying a word.

Gibbs was very worried.

When they finally reached topside, Gibbs loaded the evidence into the trunk of the car. He looked around then, and saw Tony standing in the middle of the alley—right where Gibbs had let go of him—staring up at the sky. Smiling sadly at his agent, Gibbs walked over to his Second In Command. "Ok Tony?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah Boss," Tony spoke finally. "Just looking at the sky."

Gibbs humored Tony and looked up. It was a bright sunny day in springtime. The sky was blue and spattered with only a few clouds. It was a lovely day. "Pretty day," he commented.

"Didn't know if I'd see it again," Tony murmured. His eyes dropped shut suddenly and he wobbled.

"C'mon Tony," Gibbs said. "Let's get you back to the office. Want Ducky to take a look at you."

"'m fine Boss," Tony said softly, but followed Gibbs as instructed. He sank into the front seat of the car. Kate was riding in the back with Vanessa, who was still cuffed. Gibbs instructed Kate to ride in the back with her—he wouldn't trust Vanessa with Tony after what she'd done.

"Jesus DiNozzo you stink," Kate grunted, holding her nose. "Gonna have to move your weekly shower up a bit," she snarked gently. Tony ducked his head, his cheeks tinting slightly, and Gibbs glared at Kate in the rearview mirror. "Sorry Tony," she said softly. "Was only joking."

As they drew nearer to NCIS, however, Tony seemed to spark a bit. When they parked in the garage and started up the elevator, Kate still escorting Vanessa, Tony smiled at Gibbs. "You were worried about me weren't you Boss?" Tony asked.

Gibbs didn't answer. He'd never admit to being worried...it would kill his tough-guy image.

"I mean you were really not sure if I was alive or not—you were scared weren't you?" Tony smiled brighter.

Gibbs glanced at him, but didn't answer.

"C'mon Boss," the elevator doors dinged and slid open. As they started out into the bullpen, Tony continued. "It won't hurt you to admit you were worried about me!"

They were almost to the bullpen and Gibbs stopped suddenly. He turned around and cupped Tony's face in his hands and smiled at him. "Tony as far as I'm concerned, you're irreplaceable." He patted him lightly on the cheek and then turned away.

Tony's world suddenly tilted and he gasped softly. He blinked, desperately trying to clear his graying vision. "B—"

"Forget it McGee," Gibbs had turned his attention to Timothy McGee who was sitting at Tony's desk working. "He's still alive."

Tony's eyes widened just for a split second before they fluttered a bit.

"Tony?" Kate asked softly. "You ok?"

Tony blinked again and suddenly it felt like he was falling. His legs just didn't seem to be able to hold him up any longer.

"TONY!" Gibbs caught him. He'd turned when Kate had spoken and saw the horrible paleness in Tony's skin. He'd moved forward, meaning to send him packing to the Autopsy Lab, but instead found himself with an armful of limp and unconscious agent. He stumbled slightly under the sudden weight of his agent.

Holding Tony with one arm, Gibbs carefully palmed the young man's face. Tony was down for the count. The older man shifted slightly, causing Tony's head to roll forwards instead of leaning back. With a solid thumb the young man's head landed on Gibbs' shoulder. "Somebody call Ducky and an ambulance," he barked. "And one of you go find out from that damn waitress what the hell it was she gave my agent!" Kate and Tim scrambled into action while Gibbs slowly lowered himself to the floor, taking care not to injure the agent in his arms. Gibbs leaned his back against Kate's desk and kept Tony sprawled across his lap. He looked at the young man closely. Christ he looked so young…much younger than his 29 years.

Gibbs ran his fingers through Tony's hair and murmured a quiet litany that he was going to be ok, that he just needed to hang on, that help was coming, that Ducky was coming, and that Gibbs had his six.

The Senior Agent was so focused on Tony that he didn't even hear the elevator ding when Ducky arrived. "Let's lie him down Jethro," Ducky spoke softly. "Gently now, easy dear boy…"

Together the two older men got Tony situated on the floor. Ducky unbuttoned several buttons on Tony's shirt and pulled out his stethoscope. "His heartbeat is a bit fast and thready sounding," he reported softly.

Gibbs noticed the growing collection of agents gathering around them. "Don't you all have work to do?" he growled. When no one moved Gibbs stood up. "GET BACK TO WORK!" he barked. As the agents scattered in various directions, Gibbs knelt beside Tony again. He put a hand on Tony's hair and looked at the old doctor. "Is he going to be alright Duck?"

"Respiration is a bit shallow, but not too fast or slow," Ducky murmured.

"DUCK! IS HE OK!?"

"Jethro the boy is unconscious, he's quite obviously not 'OK' as you put it—however, I don't think he's dying. I think his system is merely overrun with the drugs that…_woman_…gave him. Have you phoned for an ambulance?"

"Yeah Tim called 'em, EMTs are on their way," Gibbs said. He felt like he'd been kicked. "Duck…did I miss signs of this? Did I miss something? Should I have taken him straight to the hospital?"

"Jethro I think you need to calm down. Anthony is going to be fine. Some rest and some fluids and he will undoubtedly be back on duty waylaying you with movie references in no time at all."

xxx

Gibbs paced the length of the emergency waiting room frantically. Tony had been taken to Bethesda by ambulance. Ducky had ridden with him. Gibbs had followed them, only to be promptly shooed out into the waiting room. The others had wanted to come too, but Gibbs put his foot down saying they needed to finish the case, interrogate Vanessa, check on Atlas, and let Gibbs worry about Tony. Tony wouldn't want an audience anyway.

Finally, after a couple of hours, a nurse came and fetched Gibbs. She escorted him up to the room Tony was occupying. "He's resting," she told him. "Don't try to wake him."

"Has he regained consciousness at all?" Gibbs asked her.

"Not yet," the nurse said. "But his blood work…he's been given a lot of different things. Rest is the best thing for him."

"Can I stay with him?"

The nurse nodded. "For now. Check with the doctor when he stops in. Shouldn't be too long. Make sure Mr. DiNozzo is resting though."

"He prefers to be called Tony," Gibbs said quietly. "Says Mr. DiNozzo is his father."

The nurse smiled. "Tony it is, then," she nodded and made a note on his chart. "The doctor should be in soon."

"What do I do if he wakes up?"

"I don't expect he will any time soon," the nurse said. "But if he does, keep him calm and hit the call button. There is water in the pitcher if he's thirsty."

"Thanks," Gibbs said softly.

xxx

The doctor arrived with Ducky in tow not long after Gibbs settled into Tony's room and assured the Senior Agent that Tony would be alright. It was as Ducky suspected; his system was nearly overrun by the drugs he'd been dosed with. They were carefully monitoring his liver and kidneys to make sure there were no complications, but the doctor felt confident that as soon as the drugs worked their way through Tony's system, he'd be fine, if not slightly hung over.

"How long will he be in the hospital?"

"Hard to say, but if things go like they are now and he doesn't experience any setbacks or complications, I see no reason why we can't release him about 24 hours after he regains consciousness."

"Will he be alright to go home?"

"Does he live alone?"

"Yes," Gibbs said quietly, eyeing the sleeping man.

"I'd feel better if he stayed for a few days with someone…just so he's not by himself," the doctor said.

"He'll stay with me," Gibbs decided.

"Jethro are you sure? I can take him back to Reston House with me," Ducky offered.

"Nah Duck," Gibbs said. "He's my agent. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Very well," Ducky said. "You know you only need to phone me and I'd be there quickly if you needed me."

xxx

Gibbs sat by Tony's side all night and well into the next morning, waiting to see signs of wakefulness in the young man. He paced and wandered, stared out the window, sat on the edge of Tony's bed and held the young man's hand, ran his fingers through Tony's hair and talked to him. Through it all Tony remained still and silent, trapped under the veil of the drugs.

It was nearing lunch time when Tony let out a soft moan and moved his fingers slightly. Gibbs was sitting in the chair beside the bed and quickly set the crossword puzzle he was working aside and stood up. He moved over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. "Tony? DiNozzo can you hear me? You with me Tony?"

Tony remained quiet though. Gibbs pushed the call button and let them know of the change. He told them that Tony hadn't opened his eyes yet.

A couple more hours passed and Tony moaned again, this time louder. He moved his head slightly and his fingers tightened into a fist.

Gibbs moved to Tony's side once again, this time wrapping his hand gently around Tony's forearm. "Snap out of it Tony," he ordered gently. "C'mon you've slept enough time to open your eyes."

Tony's brow furrowed and he let out another soft sound, moving his head slightly again. Gibbs reached up and lightly tapped Tony on top of the head. "You with me Tony?" he asked casually.

"Buh…Gih…" Tony's brow furrowed again and he seemed to be struggling to open his eyes.

"It's alright Tony," Gibbs soothed softly. "It's Gibbs. I'm right here. I've got your six. I need you to open your eyes."

"Huh…hurrrssssss," Tony slurred, still not opening his eyes. He was breathing raggedly though, and there was sweat on his forehead again.

Gibbs hit the call button and told the nurse what was going on.

"What hurts Tony?" Gibbs asked Tony while they waited for the nurse.

"Buh…hehhh…hurrrssss…thursss….," Tony whispered. His tongue moved slowly, thickly, through his mouth, trying to moisten his chapped lips.

Gibbs felt so bad for the young man in front of him. He wanted to make it better, but didn't know how. "I can't get you water until you open your eyes Tony," Gibbs said quietly. "I know you're thirsty."

Tony went back to work trying to open his eyes again and this time succeeded in cracking them slightly.

"There you are," Gibbs praised softly. "That's good work Tony. You with me?"

"H-Haaaah…penned…" he whispered.

Gibbs filled up the cup with the straw for Tony and held it to his lips. "Your body couldn't handle all the drugs it'd been given. Seems adrenaline is what was keeping you going for as long as it did. Once the threat was passed…you passed out in the bullpen."

Tony grimaced and Gibbs smiled. "I know," he snarked gently. "DiNozzos don't pass out. I know."

"Shhhhhhhhh," Tony whimpered, "o-owww…"

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "Your head hurting that bad Tony?" he glanced at the door. Where the hell was the nurse? Tony nodded tightly and then whimpered again. Gibbs lightly ran his hand over Tony's hair. "Gonna be alright," he murmured, dropping his volume considerably.

The doctor came instead of the nurse, much to Gibbs' relief and he quickly and quietly relayed to the doctor what he knew about Tony's condition. The doctor frowned slightly and then began to check Tony over. Tony screamed in pain when the doctor shone a light in his eyes, before quickly slapping his hands over his ears to block out the sounds of his own misery. Gibbs frowned. "What's wrong with him? This is more than just a headache?"

"He's got the symptoms of a migraine," The doctor said quietly. "I'd get him some pain medication, but…with the stuff still in his system…" he grimaced and shrugged. "I'm hesistant."

"What about something lighter—something like you'd normally take for a headache? He's dying here!" Gibbs exclaimed. "Tony doesn't complain about pain—ever!"

"I'll get him something," the doctor said. "Try to keep him calm. I'll be right back."

Gibbs sat with Tony, carding his fingers through the young man's hair, and keeping the other hand gently resting over his eyes to block out the light. "Gonna be oooookkkkk," he murmured more than once. The tension in Tony's neck and shoulders was visible and Gibbs moved a hand to the back of Tony's neck, squeezing gently, trying to release the pain. "Shhhh," he murmured when Tony whimpered. "Okkk…it's okkk…"

The doctor brought a light dose of pain medicine and inserted the syringe into the port on Tony's IV. "This shouldn't knock him out too much," the doctor said quietly. "Might make him groggy. Sleep will actually do him some good."

Gibbs nodded his thanks and didn't move his hands from Tony's head. He was still covering Tony's eyes and rubbing the back of his neck. "Right here Tony," he murmured. "I'm right here. You're safe. You're going to be ok. It's gonna be alright. I've got your six," he murmured.

He breathed a sigh of relief when, between one breath and the next, Tony fell asleep.

xxx

It was two days later that Tony was released from the hospital. The only lasting, concerning effect of the drugs in his system was the migraine. It had taken Tony nearly two days to shake the headache. The doctor and his nurses worked hard during that time, to keep Tony hydrated and not dope him up too much—they didn't want to risk overrunning his system again. Gibbs stayed with Tony the whole time, coaching him through the pain and guarding him while he slept.

When it came time to send him home, Tony seemed quiet and reserved. "I'm going to take you home with me," Gibbs told him. Tony stared at Gibbs curiously when he told him that. When Gibbs asked him about his expression Tony shrugged.

"Didn't think you'd want to," he mumbled softly, eyes on the blanket, and fingers picking nervously at the loose threads.

"What makes you think that?" Gibbs asked. He stared at Tony, waiting on the answer.

Tony shrugged and didn't look up at him.

Gibbs moved over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, as he'd done so many times over the last couple of days. "I've seen ya through this far," he said kindly, smiling at Tony. "I'm gonna make sure you get home and get back on your feet alright too. I want to. Ok?"

Tony nodded, but didn't speak. Gibbs knew the storm was coming, but he didn't know what the storm was, and he didn't know how to prevent it.

Maybe he didn't need to prevent it. Maybe it needed to happen.

xxx

Gibbs opened the door to his house and slowly guided a weaving Tony inside. He was doing much better, but was still a bit uncoordinated and unsteady on his feet. "Couch or bed Tony?" he asked softly.

"Don't care," Tony mumbled. "Just wanna sleep."

"Let's do couch for now and later we'll move upstairs. How's that sound?"

Tony nodded despondently and didn't say anymore. Gibbs helped him get settled. "I'm gonna make some coffee and I'll be right back alright?" Tony nodded again. Gibbs left him in the living room and headed for the kitchen. His gut was churning. There was something wrong with Tony. Something the doctors hadn't seen and the medicine hadn't fixed.

Something was bothering his boy.

Gibbs was filling the coffee carafe with water when he heard the front door shut. Narrowing his eyes, he shut off the water and headed for the living room. He grimaced when he saw that Tony was gone—though he'd left his trainers on the floor next to the couch. "Damn," he muttered, racing to the front door. He opened it and saw Tony shambling across the front yard in his bare feet. The drugs, combined with the residual headache and subsequent drugs, had left Tony unsteady and not thinking clearly. Gibbs trotted down the steps and hurried after Tony. Poor kid wasn't even heading in the right direction to get to his apartment, several blocks away.

"Tony?" he called out to the younger man. Tony stumbled but kept going. If anything he moved faster.

With a sigh, Gibbs ran faster. Before long he was able to reach out and grab the younger man by the arm. "TONY STOP!" he said firmly. He stopped running and didn't let go of Tony's arm. The action nearly jerked the younger man off of his feet, but he managed to keep his footing.

"Why are you running?" Gibbs asked, concern evident in his tone.

"You don't…" Tony looked up at him. "Don't need me," he finally said softly. He jerked his arm away. "You don't have to babysit me Boss," he mumbled. "I know I'm a mess, but I can take care of myself," he turned away.

"I know I don't NEED to babysit you," Gibbs said firmly, "But I want you to stay with me. I want to know you're ok. You scared me Tony."

Tony snorted. "Funny…the last thing I remember before I passed out was you telling McGee to 'forget it, he's still alive,'" he accused softly and Gibbs could have kicked himself.

"I was…it was a joke Tony," Gibbs said softly. "And it was said before I realized you weren't alright…I know that's no excuse."

"Would you rather have McGee on the team than me Boss?" Tony asked softly.

Gibbs put his hands on Tony's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "I handpicked you. Brought you to DC specifically so you could work for me. I have trained you and I have given you responsibilities that I've known you can handle, and you are doing a beautiful job. Tim McGee is a good agent, but he's being placed with us. I have not chosen him—he's been chosen for me. If I were given the choice between you and him, you would win every single time hands down no thought needed. If I had to do it all over again, I'd handpick you again. You're the best agent this agency has Tony—the best agent—hell the best anybody I've ever worked with. Short answer? No Tony. I would not rather have McGee than you. You are my second in command, and one day I want you to take over my team. When I said you were irreplaceable I meant it. You are my partner, who always has my six. Let me return the favor Tony. Let me have yours now."

It took a few seconds for Gibbs' words to sink in, but the older man felt the instant it happened. Tony's muscles loosened and he leaned into Gibbs' touch more. Gibbs gladly took the younger man's weight and together they started heading back for Gibbs' house. Tony was waning badly though, and the more the walked, the heavier he leaned on Gibbs.

"Y'know Boss…" Tony said softly as they walked along. "That…that's a lotta words for you…think you met your quota for the year there…" he panted softly. He smiled when the headslap knocked his head forward slightly. "Thanks Boss," he murmured.

Gibbs smiled at Tony and pulled him closer, taking more of his weight. "You're welcome DiNozzo," he said fondly.

**The End**


End file.
